Call for big increase in environment funding.

Failing to fund the environment is not a 'saving', it's a false economy.

The Environment Centre is calling for a substantial increase in funding for the environment in this year’s NT budget, due to be handed down in May.

ECNT Coordinator Peter Robertson said current NT government spending on protecting and sustainably managing the NT’s unique environment was about $100m or just 4% of total government spending – a fraction of the amount spent on other budget areas such as ‘Infrastructure’ (~$480million in 2005/06).

“Surely our environment with all the benefits it provides is our most basic and important ‘infrastructure’ and should be funded accordingly."

“The current tiny amount of funding is far below what is needed if we are to maintain the quality of our environment and address the many issues and problems already taking their toll on our environment.

“Increased funds are urgently needed to:

• control weeds and other invasive species and reduce the frequency of large scale wildfires;
• upgrade regulation of pollution and other impacts from various industries including mining;
• better manage our environmental assets such as our rivers, our Parks, and Darwin Harbour ;
• fix Darwin ’s (and other urban centre’s) problems including sewage treatment, stormwater run-off, excessive water and energy use, waste minimisation and public transport;
• mitigate the impacts of climate change, including by reducing rates of land clearing;
• involve Indigenous communities in all aspects of environmental protection and monitoring by supporting crucial Indigenous land and sea rangers programs.

“We also need increased funding to properly implement government election promises including the creation of the EPA; implementation of the Parks and Conservation Masterplan and Living Rivers program; and improved marine and coastal management.

“As well as funds to deal with major environmental problems and policy implementation, the Territory needs more funds to research and promote development that is more sustainable and appropriate to the NT environment.

“At the moment we are still too vulnerable to pressure from environmentally destructive projects and industries which claim that if we don’t make money and jobs from destroying our environment, we will have no economy.

“Clearly that is not the case as tourism is already a bigger employer than the extractive industries, but we need the government to support new or under-developed sustainable industries such as agriculture and horticulture based on native species and organic growing methods that require less water, less chemicals and produce a more unique, higher value product.”

Further comment: Peter Robertson 8981 1984 / 0409 089 020